Computers (e.g., desktops, laptops, tablets, and the like) are standard equipment for a large portion of the present-day workforce. Computers, while greatly enhancing productivity, also come with a heavy maintenance burden, because their installed software and hardware components can suffer myriad failures. For example, computer software may encounter issues such as program malfunctions, virus infections, and the like. Similarly, for example, computer hardware may encounter hard-disk corruption, boot-up issues, and the like. In nearly all cases where the computer has maintenance issues, it is vital for the employee to have the computer serviced as soon as possible, to avoid losses in productivity, enterprise security breaches, and various other problems that may result from such situations. However, such maintenance operations take time for nearly all employees, and especially for remote employees who may not have convenient access to a corporate service center. Furthermore, for traveling employees, network connectivity may be sporadic and laptop thefts are not unusual, additional issues that negatively impact employee productivity and enterprise security. Moreover, many of these same issues also are encountered in various other environments (e.g., consumer environments and the like), where computers may suffer various hardware and/or software problems, may come under attack, and may be lost or stolen.